Saturday, December 1, 2018, 4:00 pm. Harpeggio Music presents their 20th annual 20 Harps for the Holidays concert at Los Altos United Methodist Church, 655 Magdalena Ave, Los Altos. The program features Harpeggio's studio ensemble of more than 20 harps playing a festive selection of music, including traditional carols and holiday favorites. This year's guest artist is the highly acclaimed harpist Anna Maria Mendieta. She is internationally known for her classical, flamenco and tango harp music. For more information, see harpeggio.com/concert.html. For tickets, please call Stephanie at 408-366-8810 or email events@harpeggio.com. Proceeds go to Harpeggio Music to help support studio activities, including this concert.

December 6 - December 9, 2018.Alexandra Perdew performs the Nutcracker Suite with the Monterey Peninsula Ballet.

Friday, December 7, 2018. 1:30 pm.Verlene Schermer gives a performance lecture as part of the Noon Arts and Lectures series in downtown San Jose, titled The Inner Workings of a Harp Ensemble. Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph, 90 S. Market St., downtown San Jose. www.NoonArtsAndLectures.org. See flyer for more information.

Friday, December 7, 2018, 6:00 - 8:00 pm. Diana Stork and Portia Diwa, Harp Music at San Francisco's Grace Cathedral. Walk the labyrinth in candlelight and in silence to the beautiful sounds of their two interweaving harps. Grace Cathedral, 1100 California Street (at Taylor St.), San Francisco, CA 94108. www.gracecathedral.org.

Sunday, December 9, 2018, 5:00 - 8:00 pm.Harps Etc is hosting our Annual Holiday Party. All are welcome to play one piece as background music. The Wednesday and Saturday Morning Harp Ensembles will perform along with students who study the harp at Harps Etc. RSVP to info@harpsetc.com or call 925-286-4977.

Sunday, December 9, 2018. 10:00 am - 5:00 pm. Triskela Harp Duo and the Dancing Strings Harp Ensemble perform at the Dickens Fair. Festive melodies to evoke the season of bounteous good cheer. Cow Palace, South San Francisco. Check schedule of list of performances and locations throughout the day. Free with admission to the Dickens Fair. www.dickensfair.com

Sunday, December 23, 2018. 7:30 pm. Harpers Hall Ensemble performance as part of the Season of Hope benefit concerts at Cathedral Basilica, 90 S. Market St., downtown San Jose. Donations benefit the Basilica's Office of Social Ministry, which provides help, hope and essential services for the impoverished in downtown San Jose. www.StJosephCathedral.org.

December 14 - December 24, 2018. Alexandra Perdew performs The San Jose Nutcracker with the the New Ballet at the Hammer Theatre Center in San Jose. http://sanjosenutcracker.com/#home

Saturday, December 22, 7:00 pm. Join Diana Stork and Harpists from the Bay Area Youth Harp Ensemble and the Dancing Strings Harp Ensemble as they ring in the Holidays with a concert at Isis Oasis, Geyserville, CA. For dinner beforehand at Isis, call to book a dinner reservation, and to reserve a room at this special B&B and Retreat center: www.isisoasis.org. 619-632-2064

Saturday, December 9, 2018. 6:00 - 8:30 pm. Diana Stork plays Latin Harp at Brezo Restaurant in Point Richmond. Diana will play traditional harp music from Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela, Colombia, Paraguay and some of her own Latin compositions. Brezo Restaurant is located at 135 Park Place, Point Richmond, CA. Walk-ins welcome but reservations suggested. 510-680-5196. brezorestaurant.com

Saturday, June 8, 2019. Harps Etc Spring Recital featuring students and ensembles. First recital is 4-6pm, followed by a reception from 6-7 pm and the second recital from 7-9pm.More to Come!

MEMBER NEWS

Kristal Barlaan is the new harp faculty for West Valley College and is looking to build and collaborate to provide more opportunities for the harp community. Whether you are a college student, high school student or adult, you can sign up for any West Valley Ensemble (1 unit) and Applied Music 39 (.5 units) each semester. This gives a student the opportunity to receive an hour of weekly instruction for college credit. For more information, see westvalley.edu or contact Kristal.Barlaan@wvm.edu.

Internationally renowned harpist, Cheryl Ann Fulton, has produced a beautiful new documentary film, The Harps in the Trees. In the film, Cheryl Ann leads her ensemble of medieval harp students, Angelorum (including chapter member Jennifer Hurley), on a journey to the highlands of Scotland, where they serenade the very trees that provided the wood from which their harps were made. With filmmaker Ezio Taranto, they bring an inspired message of hope and harmony to the world by telling the story of their pilgrimage and illuminating a special relationship between harps, trees, music, nature and the human spirit.

The nonprofit Multicultural Music Fellowship, directed by Diana Stork, has launched its second Youtube video of the Bay Area Youth Harp Ensemble's (BAYHE) Save the Ancient Redwoods of Northern California Tour. This video features BAYHE playing Sylvia Woods' beautiful composition, "Dialogue With a Brook" (from her "The Harp of Brandiswhere" suite) playing on a rainbow of Harpsicles. To view the beautiful video and help them spread their message go to this link. They invite you to Like and Comment and Share with your local harp communities. Short documentary about the project.

Chapter member Diana Stork has published a gift book entitled, Holiday Harps. A charming gift for all your friends and family who deserve more than a card. This beautiful new little full color 50 page book features over 40 photographs of precious miniature ornaments of harps and other musical instruments, with Words of Warmth, Wisdom and Peace for the season and throughout the year. For more information, see this link.

Dominique Piana has a new collection of harp arrangements of Baroque music, including old tunes that are now hard to find, as well as some surprising finds that are perfect for harp arrangement. They are presented in scholarly and ready-to-perform style, with fingerings, pedaling, explanation of ornamentation and historical background. The collection includes Solfeggietto and La Caroline by CPE Bach, Toccata by Paradies, Allegro and Sonatina by Handel, Aria and Gavotta by Martini, La Gemissante and La Cavalcade by Dandrieu, La Joyeuse by Rameau, Prelude and Almond in A minor by Purcell, Intrada by Graupner, Rondeau by Fischer, Le Rossignol en Amour by Couperin, Aria by Scarlatti, and Toccata in C by Seixas. The price will be $25 for 36 pages. Available in mid-December 2017 by contacting dominiquepiana@comcast.net, www.harpiana.com.

HARP ENSEMBLE OPPORTUNITIES

Silicon Valley Youth Harp Ensemble (YES) is an ensemble under the sponsorship of the Silicon Valley Chapter of the American Harp Society. It is directed by Sonya Yu, and meets in the northwestern part of San Jose. Current ensemble members are ages 8-16. For more information about joining, contact Sonya Yu at musica2g@yahoo.com or visit the website at www.harpyes.org

San Jose Youth Symphony has a harp ensemble, directed by Kristal Barlaan, with bi-monthly meetings from September - May at Valley Christian High School in San Jose and 3-5 concerts per year. The ensemble is open to students from ages junior high through age 22 and with playing ability of level two and above. Auditions are ongoing for the 2017-2018 season. For more information, visit SJYS.org. If interested in auditioning, email kristalharp@gmail.com.

New Harp Ensemble at Harps Etc. The last Sunday of each month from 5:00 - 6:30 pm beginning September 27. Open to all ages and abilities. Learn to play along with others, improve your sight-reading skills, follow a conductor and just have fun making music with others. Fee $20 per session and music. Call 925-937-4277 or email info@harpsetc.com.

The Bay Area Youth Harp Ensemble is accepting new members this Fall. BAYHE focuses on multicultural harp music played on a variety of harps. See the BAYHE website or contact Diana Stork, director, for more information at multiculturalmusicfellowship@gmail.com.

The Silicon Valley Chapter of the American Harp Society has an informal adult harp ensemble open to all chapter members, playing either lever or pedal harp. Please contact Sue Dinwiddie for details or email svcahs@gmail.com.